The LoCo Experience

My guest on today’s podcast was Carolyn Johnson, Founder & CEO of GuardUs Innovations. A mechanical engineer with a background in biology and product development, Carolyn became fascinated by the wolf reintroduction in Colorado - and especially with the lack of success that livestock predation deterrents were having.  The costs to the state of Colorado have grown well beyond projections already, a...

Welcome to Loco Pulse, a podcast dedicated to the people, businesses, stories, and ideas shaping Northern Colorado. Each episode dives into the heartbeat of our community through authentic conversations with local leaders, creators, entrepreneurs, and change makers who are building something meaningful right here in NOCO. From business and culture to community impact and local insight, this podcas...

I hosted a collaboration episode with Patrick Souku, Greg Roeder, and recently retired Fort Collins mayor Jenny Arnt to talk about what makes Fort Collins great and how to keep it that way. We introduced our backgrounds in local real estate, CSU teaching, podcasting, and city leadership, then debated what the city does best, highlighting parks and trails, Old Town, CSU-driven innovation, and a str...

Dakota Collins was born the son of professional hippies - his mom worked in medicine, and dad in education - with construction on the side - and Dakota was raised largely free-range in the hills southwest of Fort Collins.  He was born with a club-foot, which required repeated casting to straighten, and which eventually caused him to develop scoliosis.  And then he discovered slacklining!  In a mat...

In today’s episode of The LoCo Experience, I welcomed Nate Hines back into the studio for his second appearance - with the agreement that he gets to interview me for the second half of the show!  Nate was our final guest of Season 4, (Episode 200) - and in 2025 he executed the strategy he shared in our previous conversation - acquiring and integrating three water engineering firms!   Hines Inc. is...

Today’s episode features Kris Buchanan, Founder of Phase Three Product Development and Co-Founder and CEO of RedDrop Dx.  RedDrop Dx has developed an FDA-approved, pain-free blood collection device that is used at home!  Drawing on years of experience designing medical instrumentation and microfluidic systems, he and his partners set out to solve the “blood acquisition” problem as a standalone, sc...

Now This is NOCO! - Ben & Kelsi Harris, Owners of This is NOCO and the NEW Discover NOCO Magazine On today’s episode of The LoCo Experience podcast, I’m excited to introduce Ben & Kelsi Harris to our listeners!  They are the owners of the This is NOCO media company, and recently expanded their offerings through acquisition of Discover Fort Collins magazine - which will be adding editorial and comm...

In this episode of the LoCo Experience Podcast, I had an intriguing conversation with Johnny Fimple, Founder of Resonate, a Fimple Plan.  Johnny is a business coach, and shared his journey from being a passionate drummer in the music industry to pioneering a unique coaching perspective centered on improving employee-customer interactions.  We delved into his early years as a musician and music sto...

Jenna Lee Dillon spent her growing up years in Southwest Colorado - in the small town of Mancos - on the way from Durango to Mesa Verde National Park. Her father was in the real estate business - some construction but especially buy, fix, and flip - a decade before it was cool.  After high school, she wanted someplace bigger and warmer, which landed her at Arizona State University.   Just out of s...

John Palke and I were introduced at a Realities for Children event some months back, and when we finally enjoyed a coffee together, I knew he had a story that I had to dig into and share! In real estate since 2019, John had previously been a commercial fisherman in Alaska (where he once fell in the water and nearly froze to death), was a partner in one of my favorite band bars, Hodi’s Half Note, a...

Rachael Ardanuy is a purpose-driven attorney, as passionate about business and community as anyone I’ve come to know lately, and also an adjunct professor, Certified Jazzersize Instructor, and co-founder with her husband of Grow Your Own Fort Collins - a design and install firm focused on home gardening.  We traded some home grown gifts before the show, and enjoyed a lovely conversation.   Rachael...

In this episode of the Loco Experience Podcast, we welcome Ben Holtz and Ava Munos to discuss their journeys and roles within the Loco Experience team. Ava, the outgoing podcast producer, reflects on her time at Loco and her future plans in sales, while Ben shares insights into his varied career and his growth in the Director of Growth and Operations role. We recap the season, highlighting key pod...

In this episode of The Loco Experience podcast, I sat down with Kevin Pallaoro, the CEO of Grass Fed Foods. Kevin shares his journey from growing up on a ranch in Salida, Colorado to becoming a leader in the natural beef industry.  Did you know that Salida was heavily settled by Italian immigrants? - well you do now.   We delve into the history and operations of Grass Fed Foods and its brands Teto...

In today's episode of the Loco Experience Podcast, I sat down with Stu Crair, the founder and executive director of the Digital Workshop Center, a musician as well as an adjunct professor at CSU. Stu shares his history, balancing professional commitments and musical pursuits, offering insights to his roles, kind of creating a job at CSU and Elsewise, and the evolution of the Digital Workshop...

Brett Kemp is the President of Flood & Peterson, an employee-owned insurance brokerage since 1939, and the strongest market share among property & casualty insurance brokerages in the region.  With career chapters in the Air Force, pharmaceutical sales, and manufacturing, Brett was a darkhorse candidate for ascendance to leadership.  Aaron Eide visited Fort Collins almost exactly 25 years (to the...

In today’s episode, I sat down with Marshall Spring, Founder of Combat Recovery Foundation.   Marshall is a combat-disabled Marine Corps Explosives Detection Dog Handler, former police officer, private-security entrepreneur, and suicide prevention expert.  This is an intense conversation with an insightful guy, and I know you’ll enjoy my conversation with Marshall Spring.   The LoCo Experience Pod...

In this episode of the LoCo Experience podcast, I had a lively conversation with Teri Karjala, a business success therapist and entrepreneur. Teri shared her journey from a small town in Kansas to becoming a counsellor to becoming the owner of a sizable therapy practice.   She highlighted her unique methods using energy psychology and quantum physics to help business owners overcome limiting belie...

We discussed the concept of a vertically integrated distillery, where they oversee the process from growing their own grains to producing the final spirits. We talked through the economics of distilling, and the creation of their product lineup, including unique offerings like 'Whiszcal,' a whiskey-mezcal hybrid, the Forged in Fire line honoring military service members, and future aged...

My good friend Aaron Everitt dropped by for a post-election recap episode this week, and I wore my blue Hawaiian shirt to symbolize the big blue wave that swept across much of America.  Aaron and I dig into what’s going on in the economy, and especially in the minds of young people and the working class, and where we might go as a nation from there.  Aaron shared some updates from his creative wor...

My guest on today’s podcast was Rebecca Archuletta, Rapid Transformational Therapist and Founder of Because You Matter - Healing By Rebecca.   Rebecca’s journey is informed by grief, with multiple suicides in her sibling group and extended family, a career rise and fall and rejuvenation - and powered by intentional education.  Her methodology combines hypnosis with other modalities to rewire and b...

I reconnected with Evan Worsley this spring, when I dropped him a note on LinkedIn, in congratulations of 9 years in business and what I’d seen as steady growth in the numbers of Conduct All Electric trucks around the region.  Turns out, I had helped him register his LLC and obtain his EIN at the Small Business Development Center those 9 years before, and though the name was familiar, it was easy...

In this episode of the Loco Experience Podcast, I welcome Steven South, Founder and President of LSE Builders. Steven and I connected on LinkedIn, and found a lot of common causes in a zoom, and I hope to add him to the ranks of LoCo Think Tank members in coming months!  Steven shares anecdotes about his early experiences in the construction industry, including the impact of the 2008 financial cri...

Adam Hirschhorn is a candidate for Fort Collins Mayor, and joined me for the last of our Hot Nugs Conversations - a collaboration between LoCo Think Tank, Matador Mexican Grill, Old Town Spice Shop, and The LoCo Experience Podcast.   Please visit Adam’s page at @electadammayor.bsky.social to learn more about his platform, and make sure to vote by or before November 4, 2025!   The LoCo Experience P...

Emily Francis is a candidate for Fort Collins Mayor, and joined me for the fifth episode of our Hot Nugs Conversations - a collaboration between LoCo Think Tank, Matador Mexican Grill, Old Town Spice Shop, and The LoCo Experience Podcast.   Please visit www.emilyforfc.com to learn more about her platform, and make sure to vote by or before November 4, 2025!   The LoCo Experience Podcast is sponsor...

Scott VanTatenhove is a candidate for Fort Collins Mayor, and joined me for the fourth of our Hot Nugs Conversations - a collaboration between LoCo Think Tank, Matador Mexican Grill, Old Town Spice Shop, and The LoCo Experience Podcast.   Please visit Scott’s Facebook Page to learn more about his platform, and make sure to vote by or before November 4, 2025! The LoCo Experience Podcast is sponsore...